Goodnight Little Spoon

100 Ideas | Week Four

2012-01-29T14:05:00.000+11:00

This week I chose the idea: Illustrate your grocery list for my challenge. I am terrible at shopping because 1) I work at a supermarket, so I never want to go to them outside of work and 2) I live 30 seconds from a supermarket, so C just goes to get items one by one as we need them. I have never actually used a shopping trolley before - I've never bought more than a basket load.

So instead of illustrating my own grocery list (I couldn't think of anything I needed) - I illustrated some shopping lists I found at my work (people leave them in their baskets). I think I'll be on the look out for more shopping lists at work to draw now. I pulled out my Derwents for the first time in about 5 years which was a good feeling. This idea reminded me of a blog I used to go to called Shopping Losts wherein the blogger would collect shopping lists and then recreate them typographically in Photoshop.

Last night I finished my Sketchbook Project journal and will be scanning it today and sending it off tomorrow. I will be so sad to see it go. The Australian Open has been on these past few weeks and I've been sitting and collaging while I watch my favourite tennis players (<3 Nadal), relaxing!

What are some creative things you've been up to this week?

100 Ideas | Week Three

2012-01-24T22:19:00.003+11:00

I'm a few days behind in my Keri Smith challenge as I've been busy with family from interstate this week, but I did start this one last week. Last week I chose the idea 'Write a letter to yourself in the future', but after seeing Joy The Baker's post about making a time capsule, I couldn't resist taking it a little further.

So, I wrote myself a letter for the future, put it in a box and started filling it with little bits and pieces. Things that I can forget about for a while and won't need desperately, but things I'll really enjoy uncovering in five years. I haven't labeled the items like Joy did, but I like that some of the things I put in this box might be a bit of a mystery for me. I did label all of the instant photos.

+ Deciding on some things to put in.

Some things in the box:
+ a neck warmer my best friend knitted me
+ a mix cd containing some of my favourite songs at the moment (entitled the "I hope they have cd players in the future" mix)
+ a whole bunch of instant photos from 2011
+ one of my current payslips (I'm hoping life might be a bit different monetarily in 2017)
+ a badge from my work
+ a lavender pillow (it will make everything smell good)
+ a collage I made
+ a pamphlet about MONA (one of my top 3 places on earth)
+ a vintage Valentine (this will have a lot of meaning after this year)
+ the badge from the Summer school I just completed
+ a bicycle badge made by Isis
+ an embroidery I did
+ one of my postcards
+ a letter to my future self
+ a letter from C to my future self (which I've not read)

Now I am going to bury this box in the depths of my spare bedroom wardrobe and not open it up until the 24th January 2017. I will be 27.
I'm pretty sure you should go make yourself a time capsule now!

Dexter

2012-01-23T13:07:00.002+11:00

Last night C and I were riding to his parents house for his mum's 66th birthday party and we rode down a really dodgy street. I call C the cat whisperer because if he sees a cat, he makes that little clicking noise with his tongue and cats immediately run up to him and roll onto their belly for a pat.

In the street we saw a sweet year old cat with a collar and then a tiny kitten ran out from under a parked car and wanted a pat too. He was very grubby and covered in fleas and the street wasn't far from a very busy road. He didn't seem to belong to any of the houses, but we rode off and left him with the other cats in the street. When we rode past at 10pm he was still out on the road wandering around and (after some short but intense deliberating) we made the decision to put him in our backpack and ride with him home.

It felt really dodgy taking him, but to me, a dirty, starving, flea-ridden four/five week old kitten out on the street at 10pm near a busy road at night doesn't have a responsible owner. You might feel differently. When we got him home he ate like he had never eaten before. He has a lovely, kind nature, follows us around and walks about purring all day. I didn't even think about what we'd name him, as soon as we picked him up he was Dexter. I said to C that we are such 'fangirls', naming our cats after our favourite singers and tv shows, ha.

So, I have four cats. FOUR CATS. I know that sounds ridiculous. It is ridiculous. But I do. They are all clean (except Dexter, still working on that), wormed and flea treated, they get along and spend a lot of time sitting outside in the sun or curled up on our beds. I guess I just didn't want anyone to think I'm living in squalor with my four cats, haha. If I were ever able to, I'd love to be able to foster stray cats until they found homes.

Maybe my cat rescuing adventure had something to do with reading this book at the moment.

Ps. How great is Kitties and Bullshit?

Mail | Incoming

2012-01-21T18:52:00.001+11:00

Just a couple of mail bits and pieces.

+ A lovely bunch of papery bits from Crystal. I love her mail art.

+ Sarah sent me some awesome ephemera. She has so many papery goodies in her shop.

+ A cute postcard from James T

+ I bought this sweet little zine by Natalie of Awkward & Beautiful.

Making | Books Pt. 1

2012-01-21T18:38:00.000+11:00

These last two weeks I've been attending an intensive Summer School at my university. Instead of completing a subject in 13 weeks, as is done in regular semesters, we completed one subject in about 8 days (making, all day every day) - I wish all subjects could be done that way! My class was called The Artist's Book and I made about eight books in total. It wasn't nearly as rushed or scary as I thought it would be, with lots of time for sitting and chatting and learning the skills and gathering inspiration. We still won't find out our mark for a few weeks, but I had so much fun and now I want to make books all the time. I'm still waiting for a couple of the books to be returned from the little exhibition we had yesterday, but here are the first few (bearing in mind, I am still very much a novice at book binding).

1: Coptic Binding with collaged hard cover and internal painted signatures.

2: Saddle stitch binding with varied collected paper pages.

3: Japanese stab binding.

4: Concertina lamp with drawn and stitched motifs and paper cuts.

5: Chinese star book.

I'd love to put together a little post on how to make some of the easier ones. Let me know if that's something you'd be keen on :)

100 Ideas | Week Two

2012-01-15T22:09:00.000+11:00

This week in the challenge I chose another easy one - my ten most important things (not including people or animals). I found it so hard to think of ten things. I really don't value things very much. Of course, if my bike or computer were to break or get stolen, I'd be pretty upset, but both things are entirely replaceable (money permitting). I have a few items of sentimental value, but thankfully the internet is good at preserving photographs and music and the like. This list reminded me of the Burning House project (via Laura), which I adore. I have been meaning to submit a photo there for ages.

If you'd like to play along, feel free to link up! The original 100 Ideas list is here.

Photo A Day Cont.

2012-01-13T13:38:00.001+11:00

Here are a few more pictures from the #JanPhotoADay challenge:

Day 5 : Something I wore

Day 6 : Makes Me Smile (that C lets me and enjoys having his nails painted)

Day 7 : Favourite (boy)

Day 8 : Sky

Day 9 : Daily routine

Day 10 : Childhood (the first time I was in the newspaper, I'm in the middle)

Day 11 : Where I sleep

Day 12 : Close up

Day 13 : In my bag (purse)

I'm so enjoying this challenge. I'll be sad when it's over!

List | Favourite Lists

2012-01-12T23:31:00.000+11:00

+ Image via.

Here are some of my favourite lists from around the internet.

Keri Smiths's 100 ideas
Sarah Rooftop's out of the ordinary moments
Woody Guthrie's 1942 resolutions list
Mocking Bird's reasons I love record stores list
Susannah Conway's ABC of important things
Vanessa Berry's weird disasters
Austin Kleon's how to steal like an artist list
All of Hula Seventy's lists (there's no way i could pick just one).
Her Library Adventures' 30 fabulous fun goals for 2012
Elsie's 28 before 29 list (because this lady gets the stuff on her lists done!)
The Oatmeal's the pro's and con's of making a pro's and con's list list

Any favourites you care to share?

Worn | Little Red Hat

2012-01-08T23:49:00.000+11:00

I bought this Peter-Pan collared shirt after work one night this week at the 24hr Kmart beside my work. I don't know why the Kmart is 24 hours, but I won't complain because I am often there at an odd hour. I have had this hat over 5 years, but never worn it because I always felt like I wasn't a 'hat person'. I'm still not sure if I am one, but I was okay with it today. My mum gave me the vintage hat pin for Christmas last year and I finally had a hat to wear it in. I was worried it would stab me at some point during the day. Today I hung out with my lovely BFF Sara and her daughter Ginger and then C and I went to see Tin Tin at the movies. I had a really good day, I hope you did too.

+ shirt: kmart + shoes: minki + hat, skivvy & skirt: unknown + hat pin: vintage.

100 Ideas | Week One

2012-01-08T23:39:00.000+11:00

For a long while I've been meaning to attempt some of the things on Keri Smith's 100 Ideas list. My plan is to tick one idea off the list each week in 2012. The ideas are pretty simple, most are 5 minute creative endeavours. There are some ideas that aren't as up my alley as others, but if I can finish 50 by the end of the year I think I'll be pretty happy with that. I am hoping that by doing these simple creative tasks, it will inspire me to think of more of my own, be more observant, make more things, be spontaneous. I'll be crossing things off the list in no particular order (just to make it more free) and posting each Sunday.

Would you like to join in?

This week I chose: Make a meal based on a colour theme.

+ V, apple, snow peas, dolmades, grapes, sour lolly bells, olives, pesto on a biscuit, avocado, kiwi fruit & baby spinach.

Green foods are my favourite, closely followed by red.

List | Fifties Time Travel

2012-01-07T23:27:00.000+11:00

What would you get up to?

Ps. When I asked C what he'd do if he could time travel to the 1950s he said, "Try to find a way back?". Boring man!

+ honeycomb pattern from pugly pixel

Collage | Sketchbook

2012-01-05T15:41:00.001+11:00

I've been trying to fill at least two pages per day in my Sketchbook Project book lately. These are some recent pages. I really enjoy collage, but I only have a couple of magazines to cut up. I refuse to buy them new just to cut them up and I won't let myself cut up my Frankie collection. A visit to my local opshop yesterday didn't yield any magazines either! Must find some!

January Photo A Day

2012-01-04T20:55:00.000+11:00

I spotted Fat Mum Slim's January Photo A Day Challenge graphic floating around on Instagram this week and started taking pictures. There is a photo prompt for each day and I thought I'd share my progress. Care to join? We're only a few days in, so feel free to start taking pictures - you don't have to be on Instagram or have a blog to participate.

Day One: (baby) Me

Day Two: Breakfast

Day Three: Something I Adore

Day Four: Letterbox

Etsy Loves

2012-01-02T22:52:00.001+11:00

1. Polka Dot Leggings by Peeko Apparel
2. Vintage 1950's Holly Red Dress by Hollie Point
3. The Catalina Crochet Flower Ear Warmers by Rebecca Caridad
4. Teen Witch Illustration Print by Danny Brito
5. Vintage Picnic Tray by Nice
6. Turquoise Painted Elephant by Bubblegum Belles

Mail | To Missive Maven

2012-01-02T00:00:00.000+11:00

Ilona, The Missive Maven, was one of my first constant penpals when I started writing to 'strangers' (people online) a few years ago. I remember spending hours on her blog ogling all of that pretty mail. I so enjoy reading her letters. There really is a craft to writing great letter and she's totally honed hers. I've really missed writing to her, since mail has taken a bit of a backseat for me in the last year. I find that making letter writing as easy as possible for myself works best - getting out an envelope and some paper, designating a spare half an hour to write, decorating the envelope for 5 minutes, filling it with some goodies, then sealing it up. I'd like to try to send one or two letters per week this year. Have you sent any letters lately?

NYE Doodling

2012-01-01T17:07:00.001+11:00

These pages are from my Sketchbook Project book. The 2012 sketchbooks have to be postmarked and sent back to the US by the end of this month, and with a really busy month ahead, I'm going to have to put pen and paper and glue and paint to notebook and get it finished in time. My theme is 'time traveller' and I've been trying to play with that concept a bit.

+ my not-quite-new-years-resolutions list.

Just A Minute

2012-01-01T14:15:00.000+11:00

+ a collection of blue

+ peacock at cataract gorge & my favourite nail polish at the moment.

+ some freehand embroidering.

+ some details.

+ a favourite pair.

+ drinking tea with my love on a lovely date & photo #2473 of my nail polish

+ some graffiti i liked in hobart

+ the launceston city christmas tree & my first tube of mac's ruby woo

+ cute eyemask

+ things spotted in hobart

+ i heart red

+ a sweet cupcakery in hobary & sgt. seagull

+ a lovely card from sharni

+ the view from a boat & expensive and tiny macarons

+ rented bicycles & old wall art in hobart

+ fance new glasses

+ making chocolate covered raspberries & eating snow peas from the fruit shop.

+ new dress & chocolate raspberry.

+ starting a collection of non-Christmassy Christmas decorations.

+ graffiti seen in Hobart & graffiti seen in Launceston.

+ Last night's bright lights.

Watching: Dexter, Downton Abbey & Misfits finales, Gamer, Griff The Invisible, Pushing Daisies.
Purchasing: Mac Ruby Woo, little Christmas gifts, pretty paper, Lush goodies.
Listening to: M83, Big Scary, The Middle East, The Honey Trees, Awolnation, Gotye live.
Visiting: Hobart twice, Cataract Gorge, Bicheno.
Loving: My Mr.
Making: Sweet treats.
Consuming: Chocolate covered strawberries.
Wanting: A cool change.

Happy brand new year :)

List | Books

2011-12-30T00:32:00.001+11:00

1. The Scrapbook Of Frankie Pratt - Caroline Preston
2. The Vintage Tea Party - Angel Adoree
3. How To Draw Classic Heads and Faces - Walter Foster Publishing
4. The Family Law - Benjamin Law
5. Patch - Cath Kidston
6. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - Mindy Kaling
7. Keepsakes - Frances Hansen

These books are in the things-I-should-buy-myself-as-belated-Christmas-presents list.
What's on your book-wish-list at the moment? Anything you'd recommend?

Worn | Red Roses

2011-12-29T20:27:00.001+11:00

+ dress: revival from dangerfield/myer, belt: thrifted, collar: romwe, shoes: vivienne westwood & melissa, tights: sussan, bow: diva, petticoat: vintage, lipstick: mac ruby woo, earrings: top shop (from messy carla).

C's parents took us for a drive to Hobart today (our second trip there in a week!) to visit the Taste Festival. C and I devoured some chocolate covered raspberries, then headed back into the city where we visited Love and Clutter, Ruby's Room, The Letterbox Emporium, Lush, JBHifi (C's favourite) and we didn't get to visit Hello Gorgeous (which was closed - I'll have to peruse the vintage goodies next time).

I bought this dress in the basement of Myer where all the lovely Dangerfield dresses hang out, in a great haste while C and his parents were waiting for me outside. There wasn't a version of this dress in my size but it had to be mine, so I just grabbed the size 10 (which is definitely not my usual size) and ran out the door, but fits really comfortably. I'd probably go up a size just for a bit more bust room, but I am 100% smitten (even if it did send me a little broke after my day of spending). I'd love one in yellow too. Pretty sure I'll have to go back to Hobart again soon to visit the dresses.

12 Photographs

2011-12-21T21:22:00.000+11:00

This is sort of my round-up kind of post for 2011. I thought I'd choose a photo from each month of the year. One of my unofficial new years resolutions is to take lots more photographs, I love being able to look through them at the end of the year. I didn't pick necessarily meaningful pictures for each month, just something that stood out for me, some kind of memory attached to it. If you feel like doing the same I'd love to see. I hope you had a safe and happy day today whatever you were up to :)

+ January

+ February

+ March

+ April

+ May

+ June

+ July

+ August

+ September

+ October

+ November

+ December

Holiday Acquisitions

2011-12-19T22:47:00.002+11:00

I entered my first Lush store today. Oh my. All four of the store people came up to me at different times and applied various delicious potions onto me. It was unfortunate that I visited the store on the last day of my holiday as I certainly could have spent a lot of coin there. I am very keen to read Marieke Hardy's book that I picked up at the markets and I adore my new backpack. Also, I really think that wearing an eye mask improves my sleep. This was me going on holiday with not very much money and I managed to spend a lot of my not-very-much-money (especially on food).

Some Hobart highlights:
+ Visiting the Museum of Old and New Art - one of the most incredibly wonderfully bizarre places I have ever been. I am still amazed that it exists in Tasmania and not in New York or London. Coins, sculptures and sarcophaguses from a several hundred years BCE juxtaposed with machines that make poo and a video installation of 30 German people on televisions singing Madonna songs, among other things. I'm still thinking about the things I saw. I don't want to share too much or I'll spoil it!
+ Riding a bike to the museum along the awesome innercity cycleway. I thought that being someone who cycles daily, I'd have no trouble on this rented bike. As soon as I got on it I backpedalled (my bike has hand-brakes) and smashed into it with great speed. I'm waiting for some pretty intense bruises to show.
+ Riding atop a ferry home from the museum along the river. Beautiful.
+ Visiting the Salamanca markets.
+ Buying my first Mac Ruby Woo lipstick.
+ Watching people dance at Rektango.
+ Attending the Gotye concert in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hobart with 5999 other people. It ruled.
+ Drinking a smoothie in a restaurant called Drifters, dedicated to Errol Flynn (they even have his real birth certificate on the wall).
+ Eating a superb lunch at a restaurant called Machine which is part laundromat part cafe (Miss Piggy does a great post about it here).
+ Staying with our lovely friend Mel.
+ Wandering a lot.
+ Getting caught in a huge flooding hail-storm on the way home (submerged cars!).

Happy to be home and I hope to return to Hobart in the next few months. I didn't even get to go vintage clothes shopping!

Monday List | To Watch

2011-12-19T20:45:00.002+11:00

Have you seen anything lately you'd recommend? I intend to bunk in this Dec 25 and watch some movies on my to-watch list. My sister and brother are in NSW and my parents are in Japan and I've given most of my gifts already, so I'm going to chill out next weekend.

I've been on holidays for the last 5 days in Hobart. I have been a bad blogger, but I make no apologies as I had a grand old time away. I hope to do some kind of mini-post about it. I hope you're having a lovely festive season wherever you are. I will be working the next 5 days straight. Remember to be nice to people retail at this time of year! We're not machines! So many legs of ham! So many turkeys! So many Christmas puddings and pavlovas! So many badly glad-wrapped plastic plates of oysters that leak all over the conveyer belt! I actually really enjoy working in retail at this time of year. Guess I'm a masochist!

+ frame from mellowmint

Yours and Theirs

2011-12-12T01:37:00.000+11:00

+ the view from my (kitchen) window.

A fun little project has popped up lately called Yours and Theirs. Each week on their Facebook page, you are given a prompt of something to photograph. Last week it was the view from a window in your house and this week it was a recent gift you've been given. You take a photo and email it to yoursandtheirs@gmail.com and at the end of the week all of the photos are uploaded to the Facebook and the blog to see. It is still in its early stages, but I think it is a promising and very fun project and I'm excited to be a part of it. I think it's a really nice way to notice and document little bits of normal everyday life. Feel free to join in :)

Here are some of the photos participants have sent in:

Week One: A View From A Window In Your House

Week Two: A Recent Gift You've Been Given

+ a recent gift I've been given (by C).

Worn | Yellow & Mauve

2011-12-11T13:57:00.001+11:00

Today C and I are going for a little bike ride around town to look for some of those hard-to-buy-for Christmas gifts. We've been going for rides together a couple of times a week lately, which I really enjoy. I'm kind of obsessed with finding new places to ride to - places in Launceston we've not explored before. There are only so many places to explore on a bike because Launceston is surrounded by hills. We go house-watching (in the same vein as people-watching). I am in love with all of the one-of-a-kind round-edged art deco homes. I like to imagine what they would have been like when they were first built and the families who would have lived in them.

I bought the skirt and cardigan in these photos last week during Nanna's 50% sale. Yellow and mauve are my favourite colours at the moment.

I really enjoy the fact that C's cat Mesca hates my guts but is always trying to get in my photos (she doesn't have many poses does she?). My friend Sara patted her the other day and then when I tried to pat her she scratched me, then Sara patted her again and she was fine. She would rather be patted by a total stranger than be patted by me. Bitch. I guess we are both vying for the attention of the same man - and she had him first.

+ shirt: thrifted, stockings: sussan, shoes: vivienne westwood & melissa, belt: ebay, cardigan & skirt: nanna's.

List | To Learn

2011-12-09T23:44:00.001+11:00

+ clip arty bits from pugly pixel.

Anything on your list of things to learn lately?